Car roof



June 18,1929. c, D, BONSALL 1.718.027

' CAR ROOF Filed Sept. 2?, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fijiJ.

AZ g 2 14 NVcwro/e June 18, 1929.

BONSALL CAR ROOF Filed Sept. 27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES RPAITENTQOFFICE.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, OF PITTSBURGH, IENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 1?. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OI PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR ROOF.

Application filed September 27, 1926. Serial No. 137,933.

My invention relates to car roofs of the outside metal type, that is, of the type wherein metal sheets of light gage are supported by a wooden substructure. Heretofore, such substructure has usually com prised a continuous wooden sheathing supported by a framework usually consisting of purlins and carlines. When the sheathing boards are laid tight against each other as is usual, they serve the important function of stiffening the framework andpreventing warping of the roof. The disadvantage of this common type of OUtSIdG metal roof lies in the large. quantity and 1 weight. of its ;wooden sheathing and the length and quantity of the individual pieces of lumber required therefor.

The principal object of vention is to accomplish all of the functions of the old continuous sheathing with a greatly reduced amount and weight of lumber and with lumber of shorter length and I poorer quality than would be fit for the old continuous sheathing and to" economize 1n longitudinal section throiigh theroof on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

and

Figs. 8, 4 and 5 are fragmentary plan views illustrating car roof substructures of modified form.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my roof as consisting of carlines 10 that span from side plate 11 to side plate 1170f the ear, purlins 12 and a ridge pole or purlin 13 supported by said carlines and extending lengthwise of the car, wooden sheathing made up of sheathing boards supported by the ridge pole, purlins and side 7 plates, and metal roof sheets 14; supported the present inlabor of application as well as the material quires very by the sheathing. In the construction shown, wooden mullions 15 extend crosswise of thecar from side plate to side plate and at jllglli angles thereto, said mullions be ng suitablylocated for cooperation with the seams 16 that join the metal sheets.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the lnullions 15, which are thicker than the sheathing boards, constitute the,

wise against similarly arranged boards in the" opposite panel with which they form oblique angles. The cndmost oblique board 18 of the panel contacts edgewise with the marginal board 17 that lies against the mullions 15. In the triangular spaces between. the endmost oblique boards 18 and the board 17 next to the mullions 15 are disposed other boards 19 of short length to afford support to the metal roofing sheets 14: in these regions.

boards 18 is in reversed direction, that is, if the. boards of one panel make an acute angle with the side plate, the boards of the adjacent panel make an obtuse angle with said side plate when measured in the same direction therefrom. It is noted that the roofing boards together with the mullions,

The next adjacent panel has a similar arrangement but the inclination of the ridge pole, side plates and purlins are thus secured together in the forms of triangles.

and oblique parallelograms that cause them to act conjointly after the manner of a truss, with the result of adequately stiffening the entire substructure.

This construction has the obvious advantage of being lighterin weight and requiring less material than a continuous wooden sheathing. It is easy to apply because it relittle fitting; and it makes use of shorter pieces of lumber than is usually permitted.

The construction in Figure 3 has the same arrangement of mullions and marginal sheathing boards as in Figure 1; but the oblique boards are all short pieces 18" that extend only from purlin to purlin or purlin to side plate or ridge pole. These oblique pieces 18 abut endwise against each other and their end portions abut sidewise against the n'iarginal pieces or against the end portions of oppositely inclined pieces alongside of them. By thus reversing the inclination of adjacent pieces a continuous truss work is formed throughout each individual panel and also throughout the entire framework and substructure. This construction has the same merits as the construction of Figure 1; but it permits the utilization of short pieces; in fact it provides for the use of pieces so short as to be commonly wasted.

Figure shows a construction wherein short pieces 18 similar to those of Figure 3 are used. In this design, a sheathing board 20 extends through the middle of the panel parallel to the mullions from side plate to ridge pole and the ends of the ob 'lique pieces abut sidewise against them.

The construction illustrated in Figure 5 has the substructure broken up into panels divided by mullions and provided with marginal roofing boards that extend from side plate to ridge pole. In this design, however, none of the roof boards are arranged obliquely but all of them are disposed parallel with the mullions. These boards are short pieces 18 that extend only from purlin to purlin or from purlin to ridge pole or side plate. In this construction the short boards 18 do not abut endwise against other boards in the panel but an open space is left opposite their ends. Over the purlins the short length boards 18 bear sidewise against each other continuously from one side of the panel to the other; and this tight fitting of the boards is su'l'licient to bring about the stiffening of the framework of the substructure. The particular advantage of this construction is that it utilizes short inexpensive pieces.

What I claim is:

1. A car roof comprising a substructure and metal roof sheets supported thereby, said substructure comprising a skeleton fran'iework and relatively short transverse members spanning the open spaces in said framework, said members being spaced throughout the greater portion of their length and arranged to constitute braces to stiffen the framework.

2. A car roof comprising a substructure and metal roof sheets supported thereby, said substructure comprising a A plurality of spaced supports extending longitudinally of the car and relatively short transverse sheet supporting members spanning the spaces between adjacent supports, said sheet supporting members being spaced throughout the greater portion of the their length and arranged to constitute braces to stiffen the framework.

3. A car roof comprising a substructure and metal roof sheets supported thereby, said substructure comprising a plurality of spaced supports extending longitudinally of the car and relatively short transverse sheet supporting members spanning the spaces between adjacent supports, said members being spaced throughout the greater portion of their length and arranged at oblique angles to said supports to constitute braces to stiffen the framework 4. A car roof comprising a skeleton framework of side plates, carlines and purlins, transversely arranged mullions secured to said side plates and purlins, sheet supporting members extending from purlin to purlin and from purlin to side plate, adjacent members abutting endwise over the purlins and extending at reverse oblique angles thereto, and roof sheets disposed between mullions and supported by said sheetsupporting members.

5. A car roof comprising a skeleton framework extending from side plate to side plate of the car, transversely arranged mullions dividing said frameworkinto rectangular panels, sheet supporting members wholly within the respective panels and disposed obliquely with relation to said side plates and secured to said framework to stiffen the same, said oblique members being spaced apart throughout the greater portion of their length, and roof sheets for the respective panels supported by said sheet supporting members of that panel. V

6. A car roof comprising a skeleton framework of side plates, carlines and purlins, mullions extending transversely of the purlins and side plates and secured thereto, thereby dividing said framework into rectangular panels, obliquely disposed sheet supporting members wholly inside the respective panels and extending from purlin to purlin and from purlin to side plate at oblique angles thereto, and roof sheets arranged between mullions and supported by said oblique sheet supporting members.

7 A car roof comprising a skeleton frame- Work of side plates, carlines, purlins, and transverse supporting members of a length only slightly greater than the distance from ridge pole to side plate, said members being spaced apart the greater portion of their length and extending at oblique anglesfrom ridge to eaves, some of the members on each side of the roof forming acute angles with the side plates thereof and other members on the same side forming obtuse angles with their side plate so as to truss said framework together. 1

8. A car roof comprising a skeleton framework of side plates, carlines, purlins, and load supporting members of a length only slightly greater than the distance from ridge pole to side plate, said members being spaced apart the greater portion of their length and extending at oblique angles from ridge to eaves, said members extending at reverse angles on opposite sides of the ridge, some of the members on each side of the roof forming acute angles with the side plates thereof and other members on the same side forming obtuse angles with their side plate so as to truss said framework together.

9. A car roof comprising a skeleton framework of side plates, carlines, purlins and transverse load supporting members of a length only slightly greater than the distance from ridge to eaves, adjacent members being disposed end to end and at reverse oblique angles to said side plates and purlins, some of the members on each side of the roof forming acute angles With the side plates thereof and other members on the same side forming obtuse angles with their side plate so as to truss said framework together.

10. A car roof comprising a skeleton framework of side plates, carlines, purlins and transverse load supporting members of a length only slightly greater than the distance from ridge to eaves said members being arranged end to end alternately at reverse oblique angles to the side plates and purlins, some of the members on each side of the roof forming acute angles with the side plates thereof and other members on the same side forming obtuse angles with their side plate so as to truss said framework together.

Signed at New Kensington, Pa., this th day of September, 1926.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

